Duterte admits having BPI accounts

Leading presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte confirmed the existence of his bank accounts at the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) but denied that they contain millions of pesos.

Duterte spoke before local officials and reporters in Bataan on Thursday, April 28, refuting the claims of vice presidential candidate Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who accused him of not declaring the P211 million account in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

(That's large before. It's been spent on expenses. I have a bank account. But it will not reach a million, I assure you. When did I pull your leg?)

Duterte hinted that Trillanes may have obtained the bank information illegaly and challenged Trillanes to file a proper case against him.

When asked if the BPI accounts were declared in his SALN, Duterte said: “Yes. It was listed under the ‘other accounts’.”

Both Duterte and his running mate, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, signed a bank secrecy waiver last month which allows the opening of their bank accounts for public scrutiny.

Trillanes told reporters that the bank refused to accept the signed waiver. He dared Duterte to sign a new one and added that if his allegations are proven wrong, he will resign from the Senate and he will withdraw from the vice presidential race.